A Michigan judge has ruled in favor of a father who wanted to open carry inside his daughter’s school, despite it being a “gun-free zone.”

According to the Detroit Free Press, Kenneth Herman sued a Clio, Michigan, school district, arguing that he was denied access to his daughter’s elementary school on multiple occasions when he tried to pick her up from the school because he was openly carrying his pistol.

“I think schools being gun-free zones is not a wise idea,” Herman told WOOD-TV. “I think having law-abiding armed citizens in there provides some measure of protection that isn’t a glass door that can be broken out.”

State law allows people who have concealed carry permits to carry on school property, which ultimately led to Circuit Judge Archie Hayman’s decision on Monday. However, Tim Mullins, the school district’s attorney, argued that the law also allows school districts to develop policies for the “safety and protection of students,” according to the Free Press.

Mullins said he expects the school district will appeal Hayman’s decision, as does Michigan Open Carry, the nonprofit that represented Herman.

“If I’m a principal and I’m sitting in my office and I see someone walking up to my building with a gun, what am I supposed to do?” Mullins said. “What they do is declare a lockdown, they call the police. Kids are afraid. Teachers are afraid. Education stops. And then the police come.”